Gotham Early Music Scene

Called "the most unbridled and passionate of dances," the chacona in 17th-century Spain involved whole body undulations, massive hip movements and indecent lyrics. It was banned by the Catholic Church. A person could get up to 200 lashes for dancing the chaconne and thereby ignoring the dictates of the Spanish Inquisition. But as far as the rest of Europe was concerned, anything banned by the Inquisition deserved a closer look.

October's concert is a visual/musical history of the chaconne, from its origins as a wild and sacrilegious street dance in Spain to its apotheosis in the Chaconne from Bach's Partita in D minor for unaccompanied violin. Music, dance, and song take us on a tour through Europe via Spain, Italy, England, France and Germany.

The evening continues with a gala reception celebrating Gotham Early Music Scene's first five years of championing performances of early music throughout metropolitan New York City and beyond. Come raise a glass with us and support the further development of the early music scene for years to come.

Read "A Baroque Gem's Allure": The New York Times review of the debut performance of The Art & Ecstasy of the Chaconne in 2009

1. Mailed tickets arrive in a window envelope with "GEMS" as return address.
2. If tickets are ordered within one week of the performance, they will be held at the door.3. Your credit card will show the charge as 'PAYPAL *GOTHAMEARLY'4. There is a $5 charge per order to cover credit card processing fees. It is NOT a shipping charge; ignore PayPal's indications.